Dispenser



United States Patent Ill 3,198,455 DEdPENSER William C. Hall, 1549 W.Fullerton, Qhieago, lil. Filed Apr. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 363,519 9(Ilaims. {(Jl. 222-4lltl.8)

This invention relates to improvements in devices for dispensing liquidsfrom cans or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for usein dispensing liquids from a can and in which the dispenser has adispensing conduit that includes a spout, a normally closed dispensingvalve in the conduit, and a pump that may be used to build up airpressure within the can to a desired amount, whereupon the normallyclosed dispensing valve may be opened to allow the air pressure in thecan to force the liquid through th conduit for discharge at the spout.The dispenser is primarily intended for home use in the dispensing ofbeer or other carbonated beverages, especially beverages that are storedin large sized cans, as for instance one gallon cans, wherein it isgenerally desired that only a part or" the contents of the can bedispensed at any one time.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenserof the type stated which is used with a can having a dispensing openingpreformed therein and wherein the dispenser may be quickly and easilyattached to the can in a manner to form a sealed closure over theopening so that air pumped into the container by the pump to build upair pressure therein does not escape prior to opening of the dispensingvalve. The dispenser may be easily attached to the can as by snapfitting over the end seam of the can and may likewise be easily removedfrom the end seam. However, the dispenser is intended to remain attachedto the can until the latter is empty. Furthermore, the dispenser iscompact so that the can with the dispenser thereon may be stored in ahousehold refrigerator.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser ofthe type stated in which the pump constitutes a handle for opening andclosing the dispensing valve.

The attainment of the above and further objects of the present inventionwill be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a dispenser constructed inaccordance with and embodying the present invention and showing thedispenser mounted upon a liquid-containing can;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

PEG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately along line 33of FIG. 1

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view as seen from line 5-5 ofFIG. 2.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing,which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, 1designates a dispenser for dispensing liquid 2, such as beer or thelike, from within a can 4. The can 4 is conventional and has a can bodyformed in the usual manner by a cylindrical side wall 5. Circular canends 7, S are secured to the opposite ends of the side wall 5 in aconventional manner as by roll seams ill, 11. One of the can ends 7 hasa central well 13 in which there is a hole 14. The hole 14 may beinitially closed by a conventional plug (not shown) which provides a gastight seal across the hole 14 and which is removed when it is desired todispense the liquid 2 from the can. The can 4 may be of any capacity, asfor instance one gallon, and may have a standard diameter and height forthat capacity can.

The dispenser 1 comprises a housing 15, which may be of plastic, andintegrally includes a laterally projecting curved spout 17 and a stem 18having a bore 19. The lower end of the bore 19 is diametrally enlargedand rigidly secures a tube 21, as for instance of stainless steel, whichdepends from the lower end of the stem 18 and is adapted to projectdownwardly into the liquid 2, terminating adjacent to the lower can end8. Also formed integrally with the stem 18 above the lower end thereofare axially spaced flanges 22, 23 which lie above and below,respectively, a sheet metal bracket 25 by which the housing may beremovably mounted onto the can 4, as will resently be more fullydescribed. The central part 24 of the bracket 25 has an elongated hole26 the sides of which are at an acute angle to the sides 28, 30 of thebracket 25 (see MG. 3). The lower flange 23 is of a shape similar tothat of the hole 26 but is smaller than the hole 26. Thus, when thebracket 25 is assembled with the housing 15, the two are oriented sothat the flange 23 will pass through the hole 26 whereupon the bracketand housing may be rotated so that diagonally opposed sections 32, 33 ofthe flange 23 underlie the bracket 25. Screws 34, 34 project through theupper flange 22 and are threaded into the central part 24 of the bracket25.

Formed in the stem 18 below the flange 23 is an annular external groove36 for receiving a cup-shaped annular rubber sealing ring. 37 whichextends downwardly around the lower end of the stem 18 and terminates ina radial flange 33. The flange 38 bears against the well 13 adjacent tothe hole 14 to form a gas tight seal across the hole 14. l

The bracket 25 is relatively narrow as compared to the diameter of thecan 4 and the bracket has legs 40, 41 that are inclined downwardly fromthe central part 24. The leg 4t) terminates in a downwardly curled lip43 that grasps the seam 1i while the leg 41 terminatesin a flange 44having a nib 45 that underlies the seam 10. In mounting the bracket 25onto the can end 7, the tube 21 is inover the seam 10. Then the flange44 is pressed downwardly until the nib 45 snaps under the seam 10. Thissecures the bracket 25 to the can. The can or the bracket 25 or bothwill yield slightly to enable the nib 45 to pass over the seam 10. Asthe flange 44 is pressed downwardly, as aforesaid, pressure will beapplied to the sealing ring 37 to press the flange 38 thereof into firmsealing engagement against the well 13.

The housing 15, together with the spout 1'7 and tube 21, provide adispensing conduit. To open and close the conduit a valve 46 isrotatably mounted in the housing 15. This valve 46 may be of the samematerial as that of the housing 15. When the valve 46 is in the closedposition as shown in full lines in FIG. 1, it blocks the passage ofliquid upwardly out of the bore 19. The valve 46, furthermore, tits in acylindrical bore 48that extends at right angles to the bore 19. Formedin the valve 46 is a notch 49 of such depth and sizethat when the valve46 is rotated to the broken line position in FIG. 1, communication willbe established between the bore 19 and the spout 17 through the notch49.

A pump 51 is provided for building up air pressure within the can 4. Thepump 51 comprises a generally U-shaped frame 52 which may likewise be ofplastic and which has spaced depending sides 54, 55 that lie on oppositesides of the housing 15 and terminate in rectangularly notched ends 56,57. The notched ends 56, 57

receive companion shaped axial extensions 59, 60 on the opposite ends ofthe valve 46, and end caps 61, 62 are secured to the notched ends 56, 57by screws 63, 63. Thus, the pump 51 constitutes a handle that is movablePatented Aug. 3, 1965 C! to and from the full and broken line positionsin FIG. 1 to rotate the valve 46 selectively to and from its open andclosed positions.

The pump 51 is preferably of the collapsible chamber type that includesone or more squeeze bulbs 64, 65 which are approximately hemisphericalin shape and have annular lips 66, 67 that are secured in any suit-ablemanner in annular grooves 69, 70 in the frame 52. A conventional ballcheck air intake valve 71 is screwthreaded or otherwise mounted in theframe 52. Air discharged from the pump 51 passes through passageways 72,73 in the frame 52, and the passageway 73 has a nipple 74 that projectsoutwardly of the frame 52. One end of a flexible tube or hose 76 ofrubber or the like is attached to the nipple 74. The other end of thehose '76 is attached to a nipple 77 that projects outwardly from thehousing and in communication with the upper end of a passageway 78 thatterminates at the lower end at the stem 18. A conventional spring biasedball check valve 79 may be located in the nipple to prevent back flow ofair from the passageway 78 to the pump chamber 86.

When it is desired to increase the air pressure within the can 4, thepump 51 is grasped and moved to its full line position shown in FIG. 1,thereby closing the valve 46. The bulbs 64, 65 may then be repeatedlysqueezed to expel air from the pump chamber 80 through the passageways72, 73, nipple 74, hose 76, nipple 77, and passageway 78 to the interiorof the can 4. As the bulbs 64, 65 expand air will be drawn into the pumpchamber through the ball check 71. When the desired pressure within thecan 1 is reached, the pump 51 may be shifted to the broken line positionshown in FIG. 1 to open the valve 46 and allow the liquid 2 to beexpelled from the bore 19 through the spout 17. Usually the valve 46 maybe opened and closed several times to dispense desired amounts of liquidbefore it is necessary to again increase the air pressure within the can4.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have hereinshown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention. It is,however, to be understood that the invention is not limited to theprecise construction herein shown, the same being merely illustrative ofthe principles of the invention. What is considered new and sought to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. A dispenser comprising a housing, a spout leading from the housingand in communication with the interior thereof, a rotatable valve in thehousing for opening and closing the spout, means by which the valve maybe manipulated, said housing having flanges, and means for securing thehousing to a container; said last means comprising a resilient brackethaving a central opening through which the housing extends, said flangesbeing attached to the bracket at the walls thereof surrounding thecentral opening, said resilient bracket having legs that project awayfrom said central opening, said legs terminating in flanges, one of thelast mentioned flanges having a nib so that the last mentioned flangesand nib cooperate for detachable snap engagement with the rim of acontainer.

2. A dispenser comprising a housing, means for removably mounting thehousing on a container having liquid therein, a tube depending from thehousing and adapted to project into the container below the liquid, aspout projecting laterally from the housing, the tube and spout eachbeing in communication with the interior of the housing, sealing meansdepending from the housing and surrounding the tube and cooperating withsaid removable mounting means for sealing the part of the containerthrough which the tube projects, a dispensing valve in said housing andbeing rotatable to and from open and closed positions selectively toopen and close communication between the tube and spout, an air pumpcarried by the valve and constituting a handle for shifting the valvebetween its two positions, said pump in cluding collapsible wall bulbmeans, means including said housing for providing a passageway from thedischarge of said pump to the region of the housing adjacent to saidtube, said means including a flexible tube connecting the housing withthe handle said passageway being surrounded by the sealing means at saidregion of the housing and being exposed to the interior of the containerwhen the housing is mounted thereon by said removable mounting means,and a check valve in the passageway to prevent back flow of air from thecontainer to the pump so that operation of the pump when the dischargevalve is closed increases the air pressure within the container and theliquid is dispensed through the spout by said air pressure when thedischarge valve is thereafter opened.

3. In combination with a can having an enveloping body wall, a can endseam sealed to an end of the body wall and wherein the can end has ahole therein; a dispenser having dispensing conduit means that includesa housing and a tube extending from the housing through said hole, abracket snap fitting over and gripping the seam and removably securingthe housing in assembled relation with the can, annular resilientsealing means surrounding the hole and tube and interposed between thebracket and can end and being sealed against the part of the can endadjacent to the hole by pressure applied from the bracket, a valve insaid housing for opening and closing the conduit means, means forincreasing the gas pressure within the can, and means for operativelysupporting last named means on the bracket.

4. In combination with a liquid-containing can having an enveloping bodywall, a can end seam sealed to an end of the body wall and wherein thecan end has a hole therein; a dispenser comprising a housing, a tubedepending from the housing and projecting into the container throughsaid hole below the liquid level, a spout exteriorly of the can end andprojecting laterally from the housing, the tube and spout each being incommunication with the interior of the housing, a bracket snapfittingover and gripping the seam and removably securing the housing inassembled relation with the can, said housing projecting through thebracket, annular sealing means depending from the housing andsurrounding the tube and the hole and being sealed against the part ofthe can end adjacent to the hole by the pressure applied from thebracket, a dispensing valve in said housing and being rotatable to andfrom open and closed positions selectively to open and closedcommunication between the tube and spout, an air pump carried by thevalve for supplying air to the interior of the container, said pumpconstituting a handle for shifting the valve between its two positions,said pump including collapsible wall bulb means, means including saidhousing for providing a passageway from the discharge of said pump tothe region of the housing surrounded by said sealing means and saidpassageway being exposed at said region to the interior of thecontainer, and a check valve in the passageway to prevent back flow ofair from the container to the pump so that the pump is operable tomaintain air pressure in the container and when the dispensing valve isrotated to its open position the liquid is discharged from the spout bythe air pressure within the container.

5. A dispenser comprising a housing, a tube depending from the housing,a spout projecting laterally from the housing, the tube and spout beingin communication with each other through the housing, a dispensing valvein the housing and being movable to and from open and closed positionsselectively to open and close communication between the spout and tube,handle means for shifting the valve between its two positions, saidhandle means having means for supplying gas under pressure, means forproviding a passageway from the discharge of said gas pressure supplyingmeans to an outlet at the region of the housing adjacent to said tubefor supplying gas under pressure to the outlet when the valve is in itsclosed position, said last means including a flexible conduit connectingthe handle means with the housing, and a check valve in said passageway.

6. A dispenser for mounting on a container having an end closuresurrounded by a rim, comprising a housing, a tube depending from thehousing, a spout projecting laterally from the housing, the tube andspout each being in communication through the housing, a dispensingvalve in the housing and being movable to and from open and closedpositions selectively to open and close communication between the spoutand tube, handle means for shifting the valve between its two positions,said handle means having means for supplying gas under pressure, meansfor providing a passageway from the discharge of said gas pressuresupplying means to an outlet at the region of the housing adjacent tothe tube for supplying gas under pressure to the outlet when the valveis in its closed position, a resilient sealing member surrounding thetube and said region of the housing containing the outlet, a check valvein said passageway, a bracket having a central part secured to thehousing and having legs projecting away from said central part with thelegs terminating in flanges for detachable snap engagement with the rimof the container for mounting the housing on the container with the tubeprojecting thereinto, the bracket on the rim imposing pressure on thesealing member to form a seal against the container and around the tube.

7. A dispenser comprising a housing having a cylindrical bore, a spoutprojecting laterally from said housing and being in communication withsaid bore, said housing having a first passageway terminating at saidbore, a tube secured in said first passageway and projecting out of saidhousing substantially at right angles to the axis of said bore, adispensing valve rotatable in said bore and being movable to and fromopen and closed positions selectively to open and close communicationbetween the spout and tube, handle means for moving the valve betweenits two positions, said valve in the closed position shutting oil saidfirst passageway, said handle means having spaced apart members thatstraddle said housing, means for securing said members to the ends ofsaid valve, said handle means also having means forming a secondpassageway for gas under pressure originating at the handle, meansincluding a flexible tube forming a conduit that receives gas from thesecond passageway and delivers it to an outlet in the housing adjacentto said first tube, said flexible tube making a telescoping fit with thesecond passageway and being thereby joined to the handle means andbypassing the dispensing valve and flexing upon moving of the handlemeans to and from the two dispensing valve positions whereby gas may besupplied to said second passageway independently of the position of saidvalve, a check valve in said conduit means, an annular resilient sealsecured to the housing and surrounding the first tube and outlet, andmeans for securing the housing to a container.

8. A dispenser for mounting on a container having an end closuresurrounded by a rim, said dispenser comprising a housing having acylindrical bore, a spout projecting laterally from said housing andbeing in communication with said bore, said housing having a firstpassageway terminating at said bore, a tube secured in said firstpassageway and projecting out of said housing substantially at rightangles to the axis of said bore, a dispensing valve rotatable in saidbore and being movable to and from open and closed positions selectivelyto open and close communication between the spout and tube, handle meansfor moving the valve between its two positions, said valve in the closedposition shutting off said first passageway, said handle means havingspaced apart members that straddle said housing, means for securing saidmembers to the ends of'said valve, said handle means also having meansforming a second passageway for gas under pressure originating at thehandle, means including a fiern'ble tube forming a conduit that receivesgas from the second passageway and delivers it to an outlet in thehousing adjacent to said first tube, said flexible tube making atelescoping lit with the second passageway and being thereby joined tothe handle means and bypassing the dispensing valve and flexing uponmoving of the handle means to and from the two dispensing valvepositions whereby gas may be supplied to said second passagewayindependently of the position of said valve, a check valve insaidconduit means, an annular resilient seal secured to the housing andsurrounding the first tube and outlet, and means for securing thehousing to a container, said securing means comprising a bracket havinga central part with legs projecting away from said central part and withthe egs terminating in flanges having a portion of each thereof adaptedto underlie the radially outermost portions of the rim for gripping therim between the container end and the rest of the can body fordetachable engagement with the dim of the container after mounting onthe container with the tube projecting thereinto, the bracket on the rimimposing pressure on the seal to form a seal against the end of thecontainer and around the tube,

9. A dispenser for mounting on a container having an end closuresurrounded by a rim and in which the end closure has a hole, saiddispenser comprising a housing, a bracket having a central part withnon-circular aperture, said housing projecting through said non-circularaperture, means for securing the housing and bracket together, saidmeans comprising flanges on the housing and on opposite sides of saidbracket, at least one of said flanges being non-circular and being sizedfor projection through said non-circular aperture when the bracket andhousing are in one position of relative orientation but being incapableof retraction through said non-circular aperture when the bracket andhousing are oriented in their operative assembled positions, saidhousing having a first passageway, a tube secured in said firstpassageway and projecting out of said housing, a dispensing valve insaid housing for opening and closing said first passageway, said housinghaving a second passageway with an outlet adjacent to said tube, a checkvalve in said second passageway to prevent flow of fiuid therethrough ina direction from said outlet, an annular resilient seal surrounding thetube and the part of the housing containing said outlet, said brackethaving legs that project away, from said central part with the legsterminating in flanges having means for gripping the rim between thecontainer end and the rest of the container for detachable engagementwith said rim with the tube projecting into the container through thehole therein and with said outlet being in communication with theinterior oi the container, the bracket on the rim imposing pressure onthe seal to form a seal against the end closure around the hole.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 342,73 3 5/86Collins 2224005 X 824,249 6/06 Kleinfeldt 222399 1,811,113 6/31 Derby222-545 X 2,122,533 7/3 8 Mitchell 222-3 83 X 2,3 67,077 1/45 Ward 222399 2,744,666 5/5 6 Jacobs et al. 2225 45 FOREIGN PATENTS 547,691 10/57Canada.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

1. A DISPENSER COMPRISING A HOUSING, A SPOUT LEADING FROM THE HOUSINGAND IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR THEREOF, A ROTATABLE VALVE IN THEHOUSING FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE SPOUT, MEANS BY WHICH THE VALVE MAYBE MANIPULATED, SAID HOUSING HAVING FLANGES, AND MEANS FOR SECURING THEHOUSING TO A CONTAINER; SAID LAST MEANS COMPRISING A RESILIENT BRACKETHAVING A CENTRAL OPENING THROUGH WHICH THE HOUSING EXTENDS, SAID FLANGESBEING ATTACHED TO THE BRACKET AT THE WALLS THEREOF SURROUNDING THECENTRAL OPENING, SAID RESILIENT BRACKET HAVING LEGS THAT PROJECT AWAYFROM SAID CENTRAL OPENING, SAID LEGS TERMINATING IN FLANGES, ONE OF TELAST MENTIONED FLANGES HAVING A NIB SO THAT THE LAST MENTIONED FLANGESAND NIB COOPERATE FOR DETACHABLE SNAP ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RIM OF ACONTAINER.